There exists a plethora of surfactants in the detergency art. Surfactants, which are comprised of both a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic segment, serve the integral purpose of reducing the surface tension of the substrate to which they are applied. Surfactants are particularly useful for purposes of wetting, emulsifying, dispersing, foaming, scouring and/or lubricity. Indeed, alcohol ethoxylates (AEs) are common surfactants that are employed often for their detergency and emulsification properties.
With the promulgation of recent regulations and initiatives directed at the reduction of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), some of which have been associated with biodegradation and toxicity issues, other ethoxylates have become primary alternatives to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, a few conventional ethoxylated surfactants, too, have been linked to adverse affects on the environment. In particular, certain ethoxylates characterized by high levels of ethylene glycol monoalkoxy mono ester, diethylene glycol monoalkoxy monoester, ethylene glycol alkyl ether, R1O(CH2CH2O)nH, wherein n is equal to 1 and diethylene glycol alkyl ether, R1O(CH2CH2O)nH, wherein n is equal to 2, have been identified.
It is predicted that the use of these ethoxylates will substantially decline and will likely result in a deficiency of meaningful alternatives to conventional surfactants, and particularly the widely employed nonylphenol ethoxylates. Thus, there exists a substantial need in the surfactant and detergency arts to identify and deploy meaningful and environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional ethoxylates, and specifically alcohol ethoxylates, methyl ester ethoxylates, and nonylphenol ethoxylates. Any meaningful enhancement upon said conventional ethoxylates should deliver the benefits of high performance and the reduction of negative attributes. Furthermore, any meaningful improvement upon conventional ethoxylates should likely convey the benefit of enhanced biodegradation.
The alkyl-capped alkoxylated esters of the present invention address the problems associated with conventional ethoxylates, and specifically alcohol ethoxylates, methyl ester ethoxylates and nonylphenol ethoxylates, as will become apparent from the following disclosure.